I’ll admit it, I love data. And if I have a choice between numbers and pictures, I’ll pick numbers.

But many people would rather have a picture, or at least a graphic to go with the numbers.

So, starting with this month’s results, TrueDelta has a new graphic to go with the “successful repair trips per 100 cars per year” numbers that it will continue to provide.

When TrueDelta does something, it strives to do it better than anyone else. So if we’re going to provide a graphical quick indicator for vehicle reliability, we’re going to make it as easy to understand as possible.

Our solution: traffic lights:

                  

Can you guess which one means you should think twice about buying a car unless you’re ready to contend with an extra repair trip or two?

And if you want to know how many extra repair trips you’ll likely be dealing with, the actual repair rates are right next to the traffic lights.

You won’t find nearly as many red lights as green lights or yellow lights. Why not? Because there truly aren’t many models that warrant them these days.

I’ve got to admit that I enjoy the traffic lights myself. I wouldn’t advise using them as a substitute for the actual numbers. But as a quick indicator, to be followed up by a more careful examination of the results, they seem to do very well.